Gorgonzola, Milan province, Lombardia — the cheese is named for the town of Gorgonzola near Milan where it was historically produced. The DOP zone now extends to include Piedmont. Production is documented from the 11th century. The piccante/dolce differentiation reflects the introduction of modern production techniques in the 20th century that allowed controlled production of the younger, creamier dolce version.
Gorgonzola DOP is one of Italy's two great blue cheeses (the other is Gorgonzola's less famous cousin, Castelmagno) — a cow's milk cheese from the Piedmont and Lombardia DOP zone, inoculated with Penicillium glaucum mould, aged for a minimum of 50 days (Gorgonzola dolce, creamy and mild) or 80+ days (Gorgonzola piccante, drier, more intensely veined and flavoured). The two versions are effectively different cheeses. Dolce is spreadable, mild, and sweet-dairy with just a hint of blue; piccante is dense, intensely flavoured, with aggressive mould flavour and a crystalline texture near the rind. Gorgonzola piccante over pasta, risotto, or polenta is one of the great flavouring agents in Italian cooking.
Gorgonzola dolce at room temperature is almost white, spreadable like soft butter, with a mild, sweet dairy base and a gentle blue note. Piccante is yellow-ivory with the characteristic blue-green veining, dense and crumbly, with an aggressive, complex flavour that fills the palate with mould, salt, and slightly sharp blue intensity. With acacia honey and walnut bread, piccante is one of the great Italian cheese experiences.
Understanding Gorgonzola for cooking: the dolce version (also called Gorgonzola cremoso) melts beautifully and makes the best cream sauces — it liquefies to a creamy emulsion; the piccante crumbles and provides intense flavour in smaller quantities. For a classic Gorgonzola pasta sauce: melt piccante in cream over very low heat (piccante is dense and requires longer to melt than dolce); the resulting sauce should be thick and intensely blue-cheese flavoured. For risotto al Gorgonzola: use dolce stirred in at the mantecatura for creaminess; piccante crumbled on top at service for intensity.
Gorgonzola piccante wrapped in foil and stored at 4-6°C keeps for 3-4 weeks after opening. For the best flavour, remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving — cold Gorgonzola tastes muted and harsh; room temperature reveals its full complexity. The traditional Gorgonzola pairing with pears (pere e gorgonzola) is one of the most perfect flavour combinations in Italian food.
Overheating Gorgonzola in a sauce — Gorgonzola protein seizes and becomes grainy when overheated; melt over very low heat, off heat if possible. Using piccante when dolce is called for and vice versa — the two versions have completely different applications; dolce for creaminess, piccante for intensity. Pairing Gorgonzola with overly tannic red wines — Gorgonzola piccante requires either sweet wines (passito, Sauternes) or light aromatic whites (Gewürztraminer); tannic reds create a harsh metallic clash.
Giorgio Ottogalli, Atlante dei Formaggi; Giorgio Locatelli, Made in Italy